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Human (race)
The Humans are a relatively young race which has built a civilization from Earth which grew into a Stellar Empire known today as the Human Domain, though it goes by many other names. Humans have been a starfaring civilization for less than a millennium. A race as divided as any other, the human race first took to the stars in the aftermath of the Colonial Crisis War, the largest scale single conflict fought in the Solar System's history. Already during these formative times the seeds for corporate monopoly and domination of the social sphere were laid, and the war was largely a proxy between powerful economic forces. Though the war carried on for six years, it ended in an uneasy stalemate, and the warring powers (most of the world) gathered in Tokyo to draw up the peace. The end result was the Treaty of Tokyo which formally ended the war, organized the Global Alliance for Space Administration (today the Human Domain, and declared space as the common property of all humankind. In addition, it recognized the independence of the Lunar Republic and established commonwealths in the solar system, such as the Spanish Co-prosperity Sphere, and interstellar territories such as nearby Hercules. Today, the Human Domain is a strong regional power on the galactic scale, noted for being a center of commerce and innovation. Following the Alliance War, humans were invited as a party to the Congress of Madapar, and subsequently gained full membership. While the Human Domain is where the majority of humans live (with a total population of about 20 billion) it is far from the sole human stellar state. The Dual Confederacy is the other major human-populated entity, made up of Serva and its confederation of allied worlds, and gained its independence from the Domain through war. The Free Systems of Pel's Aurora are also largely independent, though it maintains more positive relations with Earth. Besides that there are numerous smaller stellar states beyond number and last but not least the wandering bands of asteroid nomads, some of which can be considered nations in their own right. Human culture is noted for the great degree of stratification it underwent during the Corporate Era, and these socio-economic conditions lead to the birth of new cultures in space. While all cultures will ultimately trace their lineage back to Earth somehow, the Earthborne culture group is that which is most reminiscent of Earth's peoples, customs, and languages, though it is often corrupted somewhat after centuries of life on the frontier. Earthbornes are thus further classified into Cosmopolitan and Colonial groups, which themselves are more of a general guideline based on stereotypes than a solid rule. Cosmopolitan refers to the wealthier people that live in the core worlds (such as Sol's Umbra) and who have the most influence from Earth itself. Colonial populations evolve in a number of different ways due to Earth's distance and relative lack of influence, and are generally less affluent. The other big one are the Starborne cultures and individuals. The two most major Starborne peoples are the Servans and the Khanten tribes, who number in the millions and have the most relevance. Although Servans are biologically human, their isolated culture has developed so differently from the main crop that they will be covered in another, similar article (see above). The Khanten are a similar case. Besides that, most Starborne cultures are much smaller, perhaps only a few hundred or a few thousand people, living on starships or as nomads. It should be noted to the reader that, all the above being said, it must be stressed that humans are no more diverse or divided than any other starfaring species. It simply remains the case that humans are just the easiest race for humans to understand and study the political intricacies of. With time, the complex divisions of other species may be more well-understood and documented in a human language. Physical Characteristics Humans are a species built to last. They have rugged and efficient bodies that can survive immense punishment from the environment. In this aspect, few other species, sapient or otherwise, in the Galaxy can compare, though the Randi are even more enduring. The Cogron are also notably comparable in this regard. Humans reproduce sexually, and give birth to live offspring, which then do most of their actual growth and development over the course of the first 20 years of their life (rather than in the womb or egg). They thus have relatively long lifespans, should they make it to adulthood in the first place, which ties in to their enduring nature. With modern technology, many may have the chance to see their 150th birthday and many more afterwards. For comparison, a Randi or Maghua may live for hundreds of years, while a Cogron will have a similar lifespan. Some Ishamshuk castes may live much longer, but this may not count since they are engineered lifeforms. However, it should be noted that most humans do not have access to this kind of longevity, and most average people will die of old age well before they hit 110. There are also minor variations in the content of the pigment melanin in a human's skin, which is a natural adaptation resulting from environmental conditions; generally a human's skin is lighter in colder areas with less sunlight, and the inverse is true if it is darker. Some races have an equivalent to this (such as the Periscan), but most do not (such as the Desan). Early History: Origins The ending of the Ice Age, and the consequent thawing of the great ice sheets, dramatically altered the climate of the Earth at that time. The resulting climate change was the catalyst to the creation of cities, the development of metallurgy, simple machines, agriculture, and a complex societal structure. All of the major and most successful civilizations from this time period developed in river valleys. The nature of developing in a river valley gradually lead to the invention of writing and thus mathematics, which both together allowed for trade to prosper. Though trade first existed as a barter system, it eventually came to rely upon currency as a medium of exchange. To this day the currency system persists, and it is a matter of great confusion for other species. The age-old societal structure of tribes and clans had morphed into despotism and monarchy over a great length of time. The power of agriculture to produce surplus food which can be stored for later use or to prevent disaster meant that a society could afford to have some of its citizens not working to provide food. This resulted in the creation of different classes of people, and the evolution of economic specialties such as carpentry and masonry, but also soldiery. The relative scarcity of valuable resources, in tandem with many other factors (including, let's face it, greed, intolerance, and blood-lust) lead to organized armed conflicts and fierce competition among groups of humans. Conquest lead to empires, which rose and fell in an endless cycle, each one outdoing the last. In particular, the Roman Empire and the Republic that came before, directly or indirectly influenced much of the world, setting in place the dominant languages and system of codified law, and other things of smaller importance, such as the dominant calendar that would be used all over the world until the institution of the modern Human Calendar System. It also was the major reason behind the spread of the world's largest religion, only outshone with the aftermath of the Spiritual Revolution generations later. Middle History: The Global Epoch The great diaspora of mankind across the planet had been ongoing for tens of thousands of years. Soon, there were humans everywhere that was habitable. In the long span of time that would elapse, climate change and sheer distance would separate the world into two halves - the Old and the New. Eventually, the two worlds would meet each other for the first time when seafaring technology progressed to a certain point, coinciding with an understanding of magnetism. The encounter of these two worlds, called the Columbian Exchange, was the first inkling of global civilization, today called the First Global Era. Empires were now built on the sea rather than on land, and this trend of transoceanic maritime empires would continue for centuries. Various successful such empires became wealthy and powerful at the expense of the indigenous populations, which were put into effective slavery. The invention of mass production escalated this imperialism, as developed centers of industry needed to expand their colonial influence in order to procure raw materials and manpower. The quality of life for the common person greatly increased, thanks to the availability of cheap goods of consistent quality, with interchangeable parts. Unfortunately, industry also escalated warfare, which reached a level it would never again until the Colonial Crisis War of many years later. This type of conflict would be called 'Total War' and resulted in millions of deaths and the invention of the most powerful weapons of the time period, which could effectively destroy countries, at the end of the second of these great wars. The ideological struggles which had been born during the industrial revolution would put the world into a bipolar state, trying to answer the question of whether capitalism or communism would be the dominant ideology of Earth's nations. Fortunately or unfortunately, communism faded into insignificance and capitalism would become the dominant economic system which persists, in its most bloated and brutal form, today. Late History: Colonial Crisis War and Foundation Era Main Article: Colonial Crisis War The first warp jumps were short-distance, usually to targets within the Sol system. At first, the different starfaring nations competed only in the civilian sphere and in some cases even sought to cooperate, but deteriorating diplomatic relations on Earth led to violent incidents in the rest of the star system, including sabotage. Before too long, the colonization of space became the means for tensions to escalate and proxy conflicts to erupt all over Earth between major powers, as they all sought reprisal against one another. The Colonial Crisis War's end resulted in the Treaty of Tokyo and the creation of the Global Alliance for Space Administration, of which the most principal members were most of the world's most important countries, but as the years went by, most of the globe had signed up with the Global Alliance. Today, this organization is known as the Human Domain. Through diplomatic means, the Alliance mustered the means to carry out the duty it was charged with: the exploration and exploitation of space for mankind's benefit. Although Earth countries wanted to pilfer from the immense wealth to be found throughout the galaxy, after the war none of them were particularly interested in going through the actual work and effort to do so. Thus, it was the Alliance's job to do the heavy lifting and filter the wealth of the galaxy to Earth itself. This Alliance, and later the Human Domain, are the closest thing humans outside of Earth have to a central government in the traditional sense. Main Article: Foundation Era The first years of human interstellar civilizations are known to historians as the Foundation Era. In these times human activity was largely restricted to the Sol's Umbra region. Starships were still largely experimental, and human warp drives were only capable of 1800C. Stellar Empire Main Article: Human Domain Life and Society While human lifestyle and society is largely heterogeneous and depends entirely on the context and culture of the planet or country in question, there are a few general observations that can be made. The greatest contrast exists between the colonials and the cosmopolitans. Between these two (very broad!) groups, there are countless cultural and stylistic differences, but the diversity also exists within each group, dividing them further. Settlements and Working Life Humans live in dense "concrete jungles" called cities, and must find employment in order to have an income. Earth's population is largely urbanized, with only a tiny minority living in places that could be considered rural, and participating in agriculture. Fighting and Warfare Like with most galactic civilizations, war has been a fact of life for humankind, with a military history going back at least 5,000 years. As time went on however, relative peace was achieved on Earth, only for full-scale wars to break out in space instead. Unlike most civilizations in the last 180,000 years, however, humans have developed a concept of "laws of war", an attempt to regulate conflict, reduce civilian casualties, and cruel weapons like fusion warheads, biological or chemical warfare, or certain types of ammunition. While such laws are difficult to enforce and have been broken or ignored many times in human history, at least some effort to minimize the destructive capacity of war can be seen. In the interstellar age, some laws of war which remain relevant include... 1) The requirement to announce a declaration of war before hostilities commence. States have the right to declare neutrality and be recognized as neutral states, but neutral states have certain obligations in return for this right. A distinction is recognized between non-belligerent parties and neutral parties. 2) The requirement to offer defenders a chance to surrender, to not kill soldiers who do surrender, and provide reasonable accommodation for prisoners of war. In the case of space battles, enemy crew ejected during combat are to be rescued as soon as is reasonably possible. 3) Conquered populations cannot be forced to fight against their own people. 4) Field hospitals and medical personnel are marked and protected and cannot be attacked. By the same token, one cannot imitate or pretend to be such things. As with any period of human history however, such conventions are difficult to enforce. The most common practice in response to breaking these rules (considered 'wartime atrocities') such as attacking neutral states or destroying cities without offering surrender include economic embargo and sanctions (in some cases enforced by extensive blockades). In theory, such measures reduce the guilty party's ability to effectively conduct war, while putting increased pressure on its government to provide for a war-weary population, which may or may not in turn put pressure on the government to end the war as soon as possible. However such methods have been criticized for punishing the population of the warring countries and not the governments responsible for the atrocity. In other cases, international (and interplanetary) military forces may move in to warzones for 'peacekeeping' operations, to provide assistance to displaced civilians and attempt to force a ceasefire between warring parties. In the modern world this role is often filled by the FFEL, but in the past United Nations task forces would be formed as needed. Such actions are equally controversial. One notable deviation from previous eras is that the laws of war do not cover interspecies wars. Non-human enemies can be ruthlessly destroyed by any method at ones' disposal, surrender does not have to be offered and declaration of war is optional (even more so than it already is). In 197 the Human Domain joined the Congress of Madapar however, which indirectly forbids the usage of biological warfare, as member states are obligated to prevent research and development of artificial viruses or pathogens. This does not technically forbid the usage of such agents in wartime, but the implication of the Resolution is that the goal of outlawing the development of such weapons is to prevent their use. In 204 the Human Domain enforced this resolution and solidified its commitment to the Congress when it joined the Innovaganix Containment War on the side of the coalition. Family, marriage, kinship Family, and particularly marriage, were seen as being deeply tied to religion. With the steep decline of religion in recent centuries, the idea of family being desirable went with it. Of course, other factors played a role, such as economics, technology, and infrastructural development. Cosmopolitan On Earth, interest in romance and family-building has degraded so much that government programs are forced to intervene and regulate a population growth quota. By making procreation for each woman compulsory, though with monetary compensation, and taking volunteer "sperm donors", they create children and then place them in government custody, where they are raised in specialized facilities suited to the purpose. Sometimes however, the arranged pairings lead to more serious interludes which can develop into marriages sanctioned by the state. Married couples are not obligated to produce children, but if they do, they may be allowed to attain custody of them after going through a series of examinations to ascertain the readiness of the parents. In this society, children are not considered property of the parents that created them. This system has allowed population to remain stable, just barely above the point of stagnation, for centuries. Outside of procreation, however, sexual interaction is free, and more fluid than in previous times. There is no social taboo on "sleeping around", although any "accidental" children must be turned over. Having many partners at once is generally considered acceptable, even with any 'prior monogamous commitments' to consider. Colonial The trend is the opposite in the underdeveloped colonies. The low development and high poverty leads to skyrocketing birth rates and greater risk of untreatable infection and disease. As a result, more "backwards" views on marriage and family have developed, and are thus more recognizable to a contemporary reader. However, the strictness of monogamy, and taboos around promiscuity, vary from world to world. Spirituality Organized religion is largely a thing of the past, due to the events of the Spiritual Revolution. While the concept of there being a higher power is still commonplace, each man's faith, however strong, is his own to have. Most people put equal weight in science and faith, trusting in science for evolution and astronomy in particular, but placing the origins of humankind and the 'why' for being alive in whatever they choose to believe for themselves. In this regard, most humans in the modern world can be described as secular or deists. Some remnants of the old belief systems still exist among the human species as a whole, however. There are various 'missions' maintained by a hundreds of people on Mars, dedicated to ancient faiths such as Christianity or Islam. They keep the history and traditions of these religions alive for others to explore or learn about, and have no influence or power over others beyond their members. Among asteroid nomads, however, many groups have a singular unifying organized religion, and it is these places where many radicalized versions of old and new beliefs emerge. These more often take the form of rigid personality cults however. Culture Language In the previous few centuries hundreds of languages have gone extinct in the face of more economically dominating languages. Where centuries ago there were almost 7000 languages spoken on Earth, today there are only 600 such Earthborne languages and a few dozen Starborne ones. Most of the languages that have endured went to great lengths to preserve themselves culturally, while those that went extinct were usually quite peripheral in previous times to begin with. Today, the five most common languages heard in human space are English, Spanish, Mandarin, Swahili, and Hindi/Urdu. Either of the first three are common lingua franca among worlds of different cultural origins, and are used to facilitate trade, however in some cases Swahili and Maghua may be used in this fashion. Portuguese also occasionally appears, often in proper names. Besides these, Bengali, Arabic, Russian, Hausa, and Japanese are also somewhat common. The ideographic nature of Hànzì (汉字) writing system means that it is in some occasions employed to ease written communications, but otherwise the Latin alphabet is almost universally preferred and used, with some modification, to codify most human and even alien languages. For example Maghua is usually written in the Latin alphabet. As a result of the importance of the three main languages, names of organizations, planets, and other designations will often be given in all three. Architecture The common architecture seen in cosmopolitan worlds is known as Neo-Decor. Colonial architecture varies depending on cultural influences as well as the raw materials available and the conditions of the planet in question, as with any other species. Art Technology Human technology is very advanced. Starships Main Article: Anatomy of a Human Starship Main Article: Human Ships and Ship Classes Main Article: Starships of the United Armada Category:Races